Louisiana congressional primaries suspended following Supreme Court ruling

Louisianas congressional primaries wont be going forward as scheduled in May, as a result of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a majority Black congressional district, the states top elected officials said Thursday.

Gov. Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a joint statement that Wednesdays high court ruling effectively prohibits the state from carrying out the primaries under the current districts.

The State is currently enjoined from carrying out congressional elections under the current map," Landry and Murrill said in the statement posted to social media. We are working together with the Legislature and the Secretary of States office to develop a path forward.

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Early voting had been scheduled to begin Saturday in advance of the May 16 primary.

The Supreme Court's decision underscores the courts growing skepticism of race-based redistricting, a shift expected to weaken the Voting Rights Act.

The court split 6-3, with the conservative majority siding against the map.

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Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the majority, said minority voters should not be treated differently from others.

Because the Voting Rights Act did not require Louisiana to create an additional majority-minority district, no compelling interest justified the states use of race in creating SB8, Alito wrote. That map is an unconstitutional gerrymander, and its use would violate the plaintiffs constitutional rights.